Air compressor



A. C. PETERSON AIR COMPRESSOR June l2, 1934.

June 12, 1934. A. c. PETERSON AIR COMPRESSOR Filed June 13, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ed. Getrson/ BY m ,W MIM@ ATTORN EY I WITNESS )wfg/Mr June 12, 1934. A. c. PETERSON 1,952,836

AIR COMPRESSOR Filed June 15, 193s 5 sheets-sheet :s

l v Peern/ y /L l l v L t J ATTORNEY June 12, 1934. A. c. PETERSON AIR COMPRESSOR l Filed June 13; 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 o v y l 7/ l..| E Iwo o` o u u ,O O O l v lll fio o \.W\\ 4 l m 1 [A00 0 2 l 1T., o /f/ \\\\M O., i f 7 uw 7, 7 66 O O O, 1H i ^O 0 v fw @uw M I l Ao o 2 o. o .E O 0 0, ih I @a A' d i AO 0 Y I E A 4 J wg M 4 L ZEE INVENTOR i geter'n/ wlTvEssE `lune 12, 1934.

A. C. PETERSON AIR COMPRESSOR 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 13, 1935 INVENTOR ci. @Petersn/ WlTN ESSES )HM Patented June 12, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT.i `OFFICIEL 5 Claims.

This invention relates toimprovements in air compressors, and its objects a-re asfollowst- First, to provide a multi-pump air compressor in which the pumps are arranged in generally radial clusters with respect to a centrally situated operating eccentric for the purposes of obtaining a continuous delivery of compressed air as well as establishing a balanced arrangement of the mechanism itself.

Second, to arrange the pump clusters in annular form and to make each cluster doublev acting so that the pistons perform useful work on both the outward and inward' strokes.

Third, to secure a plurality of double-ended pistons to a common wrist pin` yoke, said yoke, in turn, comprising a medial wrist pin to which a single connecting rod is coupled.

Fourth, to provide an interlock for the medial wrist-pinwhich is necessarily separable to enable fitting the various wrist pin members through the slots in thecylinders and in the respective pistons.

Other objects and' advantages will' appear'in` the following specication, reference being had to the accompanying drawingsin which,'

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved air compressor.

Figure` 2 is a fractional longitudinal section thereof.

Figure 3 is a vertical section: taken substantially on the line 3 3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a horizontalV section taken substantially on the line 4 4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a perspective, View of one-half of the improved wrist pin yoke.

Figurel 6`is a perspective view of the companion half of said yoke, the two: viewsparticularlyillustrating the medial? inter-lock.

Figure 'I is a detailsectionv taken on the line '7 '7 of Figure' 4, showing how the medial wrist pin appears Vin the top bearing of: the connecting rod.

Figure 8 is a side elevation showing. howy the air compressor is driven.

Figure. 9 is a partially'elevational` and. sectional view of. the iiywheel being: taken substantially onl the line9 9 of Figure 2.

The invention is intended for'a compression of air on a sufficientlylarge scale to make it feasible to substitute compressed air as a powermedium for. steam. and thei expensive* mode' of generating it'. Itv is. contemplated that compressed air can be'. storedina` suiiiciently'large volume to warrant pipingv itthroughout an entire oommunityfor` the operation of mills, factories. and the" like1 and piped; to hOtelaapartment housesl and individuali a large Volume of air under a relatively high pressure, and yet not be of a character that a prohibitive amount of power must be expended in its operation. The power plant in mind embodies the essence of the invention, and its principles are such as will meet the requirementsl likely to be made of it. Attention is directed to the drawings;

` A framework 1 comprises end supports 2, 3 (Fig. l) which are firmly bolted down so as to hold the framework immovable. The latter also includes outer end plates 4, 5 which are made integral with the supports either by casting or bolting. The plates 4, 5V are matched by inner end' plates 6, '7, also provided with supports.

The plates are spaced apart by spanners 8 (Fig. 3). These spanners are flanged' at 9 at the ends to contact the inner surfaces f the companionV plates 4, 6 and '7, 5 and to receive securing means 10 for their afxation medially of the radial distance of said plates. The spanners are disposed longitudinally of the compressor in an-r nularly spaced locations andV compose a skeleton framework of which the end plates are a part. The outer end plates have handholes 1I adjacent to the spanners 8 so as to enable reaching through for the tightening of the securing means 10. Staybolts 12, 13 extend between the pairs off plates 4, 6 and '7, 5 to complete the framework'l and to render it as rigid as possible.

Roller or other suitable bearings 14 embodied in each ofthe four end plates, three of which are shown in Figure 2, rotatably supportdriven shaftv sections 15. Each shaft section has a non-circu-v lar inner terminal 16. These terminalsA are inserted in confronted positions in a correspond-V ingly shaped hole 17 in the hub 18 (Figs. Zandfg) of a large flywheel 19y (Fig. 8). A belt 20 is applied to the rim of the ywheel and also to the drive pulley 21 of an air or other motor 22" from which enough power is derived to drive the flywheel and so the shaft sections, The'latter is of` a heavy construction, and'its momentum will? contribute largely towardV the continuous operation of the air compressor.

Each of the shaft sections l5'has a plurality off eccentrics, andV since the companion structure of` each of the eccentrics is alike the descriptionwill` be conned for the time being to such construction'. One of the.' eccentrics is designated 231 (Figs. 2 and 3). Thisiis afxed tothe shaft15 esi 'toi

' radial cluster.

in any suitable manner, preferably by casting. An eccentric hub 24 turns on roller bearings 25 which run on the rim of the eccentric 23. The hub 24 has radial ears 26 arranged in pairs (Fig. 2), each pair to receive a pin 27 for the mounting of the inner end of a connecting rod 28.

The connecting rod 28, again confining the description to only one, has a top or outer bearing 29 (Figs. 2 and 7) which contains the medial wrist pin 30 -of a wrist pin'yoke 31. This yoke comprises a plurality of wrist pins 32, four being shown for illustration (Figs. 4, 5 and 6). In order to conform to the cluster arrangement of ther pumps the wrist pin yoke is made in two sections with interlocking means along the longitudinal line of cleavage of the medial wrist pin 30. This locking means is illustrated as comprising a dovetail tongue 33 and slot 34 of wedge form.

The interlock will be made upon assembling the pump cylinders upon the framework. The tongue 33 and slot 34 will then be slid together, and when slid together the medial wrist pin will be perfectly circular in cross section (Fig. 7). The interlocking means prevents turning of one yoke section relatively to the other and thereby holds all of the wrist pins 32 in a permanent position relatively to each other. The tongue 33 and slot 34 will be of such length that the wrist pins 32 will be in exactly the correct radial positions, so to speak, when the small extremities of the tongue and slot abut.

The yoke 31, still confining the description to a unitary structure, actuates the double-ended pistons 35 of a single pump cluster including pairs of cylinders 36, 37 interspersed with the spanners 8 (Fig. 3). These cylinders are slotted at 38 (Fig. 4) to let the wrist pin 32 through for connection withthe pistons. The cylinder pairs 36, 37 are arranged in what has hereinbefore been called a The cylinders themselves are not actually radial. Their axes are parallel to each other but do not converge to the center of the shaft 15. However, a center line, common to a group of the cylinders is radial with respect to'Y the shaft, so for the purpose of a general designation the cylinders grouped around this center line are herein called a radial cluster. The pistons 35 within this cylinder cluster operate simultaneously inasmuch as each has mounting on the common wrist pin yoke 31.

The fact of the pistons 35 being double-ended produces double action, all of the pistons performing useful work on the respective outward and inward strokes. The meaning of this should be clear, but to explain in detail the piston 35 (Fig. 3) compresses air in the outer end of the cylinder 37 on its outward stroke and again compresses air in the inner end of the cylinder 37 on the inward stroke. Atmospheric air is admitted to the cylinders through valves 39, 4() in heads 41, 42 which close the respective ends. The air compressed in the outer end of each cylinder is delivered to a passage 43 through a valve 44. Similarly, the air compressed in the inner end of each cylinder is delivered to a passage 45 through a valve 46.

centric hub 24, thereby delivering push and pull Y strokes to the pistons of the various pump clusters all as will be clearly understood.

Delivery of the compressed air is made through an arrangement of manifolds which are piped up to a reservoir 47 (Fig. 1). It is from Ithis reservoir that the municipal piping (not shown) will be supplied. The front manifolds 48, 49 (Fig. 8) are made circular so as to adapt them to the passages 43, 45 (Fig. 3) to the best advantage.

Connections are made between the manifolds and the passages by laterals 50, which appear in a number of places (Figs. l, 2 and 3). The manifolds are piped together at 51 (Fig. 8) and then by means of a pipe 52 to a manifold 53 (Fig. 1) which corresponds to the manifold 4S but is of a larger size to accommodate increased volumes of air. There is intended to be an inner manifold corresponding to 49 within the manifold 53 (Fig. l). The two are piped together and then ultimately to the reservoir 47. The bank of pumps at the left of the flywheel 19 (Fig. l) supplies the manifolds 48, 49 while the bank of pumps at the right supplies the right manifold.

The mode of assemblage of the pumps as well as the actual structural details are matters left largely to actual practice. But in order to describe one type of construction the cylinders will be cast so that 36 and 37 (Fig. 1) are in block form. A pair of cylinders 3G, 37 will be connected in the longitudinal direction of the compressor byy a web 54. This occurs in all similar sets of cylinders. The cylinders 36, 37 (Figs. 6 `and 7) reading in the circumferential direction are connected with their companions as at 5.5 (Fig. 3). These connections occur at the inner ends of the cylinders. The outer ends are connected by the passages 43, these serving the additional purpose of the cylinders 36 and their separated companionsv 37 which comprise the clusters previously alluded to. These particular cylinders are identified by being bridged by the wrist pin yokes 31. The cylinders must be separated as shown, otherwise it would be impossible to get the wrist pins 32 in and to assemble the yokes as required.

Only some of the cylinders are cast in clusters of four. Others are cast in clusters of two. These clusters are denoted 57 and 58 (Fig. 4). The first are known as single clusters. The others are known as double clusters.'Y

Considering the compressor in its more general aspects it will be seen that the eccentric hub 24 (Fig. 3) has plural pairs of ears 26, each pair carrying a connecting rod. Each connecting rod, in

turn, operates four double-ended pistons 35. Since the pistons are double acting, it follows that each connecting rod actuates eight pumps. Since the pump clusters are arranged in annular form it follows that large volumes of compressed air are constantly delivered to the various manifolds so as to keep the reservoir 47 supplied at some average pressure. This brief summary is a description of the operation, in a way, the only thing remaining to be said being that the medial location of theiiywheel 19 contributes toward the desired balanced arrangement of the compressor. The nywheel, incidentally, includes an arrangement of face plates 59 (Fig. 2) which are useful in backing up the heads of bolts 60 which secure the spokes 61.

I claim:-

l. An air compressor comprising a framework, a revoluble shaft made in sections and having bearing on the framework, a flywheel having a hub in which the near ends of the shafts are secured to make a unitary structure, pumps arranged in annular form with respect to each shaft section, said pumps including pistons and cylinders, which cylindersiare connected at their inward ends, spanner means included in the framework to which the medial portions of the cylinders are ai'lxed, and means connecting the pistons with the shaft sections for reciprocating the pistons.

2. In an air compressor, a framework including spaced plates, spanners affixed to the plates to maintain their spacing, pump cylinder clusters and means by which they are secured to the spanners, pistons in the cylinders, a wrist pin yoke common to the pistons of each cluster and a shaft having connections with the yokes, said cluster being separable to enable the assemblage of the wrist pin and pistons in cluster form, and means providing a separable interlock for the wrist pin yoke, said yoke being separable at the interlock but capable of being put together during the assemblage of the cylinders in cluster form.

3. In an air compressor, a plurality of cylinders in cluster form, said cylinders having slots adjacent to each other, a piston in each cylinder and a shaft having means in connection with the pistons, and means for unitarily joining the pistons, said means comprising a wrist pin yoke having a medial wrist pin made in two sections, wrist pins diverging from each end of the medial wrist pin to go through the respective slot and receive a piston, and an interlock along the line of cleavage of the medial wrist pin.

4. In an air compressor, a plurality of cylinders in cluster form, said cylinders having slots adjacent to each other, a piston in each cylinder and a shaft having means in connection with the pistons, and means for unitarily joining the pistons, said means comprising a wrist pin yoke common to the pistons, said yoke having a divided medial wrist pin, one of the divisions having a tongue the other having a groove, and wrist pins extending off from the ends of the divisions, said wrist pins being in diverging relationship to the medial wrist pin when connected, entering the respective slots and having the piston mounted thereon.

5. In an air compressor, at least one pair of wrist pin yokes, each yoke comprising a sectional medial wrist pin with an interlock and pairs of wrist pins diverging from the ends of the medial wrist pins, a plurality of pump cylinders having slots through which the diverging wrist pins go, some of said cylinders being arranged in single clusters and others in double clusters to enable connecting the interlocks of the medial wrist pins and the assemblage of the cylinders around the wrist pin yokes, and pistons carried by the diverging wrist pins inside of the cylinders.

his ALBERT CHAS. PETERSON.

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